Synaptics Touchpad Driver Installation Notes
Version 4.1.11
13Sep96
For release notes, open the "ReadMe.doc" file (included with this
distribution) using WordPad or Microsoft Word.
Contents
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1. Installing the Synaptics TouchPad Driver.
2. Personal Computer and Windows 95 Configuration Issues.
3. Trouble Shooting.
4. Upgrading from versions prior to 4.0.
1. Installing the Synaptics TouchPad Driver
----------------------------------------
**NOTE**
Downloading the Synaptics driver from our web site to a directory with
a long file name in the path may cause a problem during installation.
If possible, make sure that the path contains only short "8.3" names.
Most installations can be easily completed by running the Setup.exe
program, which will guide you through the installation procedure step
by step. You can run this program either from a DOS box by going to the
directory that contains the driver files and typing "setup", or using
StartMenu-Run and running setup (e.g. if the driver files are on a floppy
disk in the A: drive, you would type "A:\setup").
After the driver is loaded and you have restarted windows, you should
see the TouchPad Icon in your task bar next to the clock. Also, a
dialog box, "Information about your TouchPad" should come up unless
you have checked the "Stop showing me this message" checkbox. Either
choose "Tell me more..." from this dialog box, or double-click on the
TouchMeter Icon in your task bar, and choose the help button.
If you have trouble with the installation, read the rest of this
document for important additional information about the following issues:
- BIOS settings
- Windows 95 mouse port settings
- Windows 95 serial port settings
- Mouse control software that was not provided as part of the
original Windows 95 system
We also describe difficulties that some users have experienced with
TouchPads installed in keyboards. In all cases the non-functional
configuration can be easily corrected. If you are having difficulty with
a TouchPad built into a keyboard, please review the section "Upgrading
from versions prior to 4.0"
The preferred location for viewing your system's configuration is in the
Device Manager, which is available by clicking on the Start button,
clicking on Settings, clicking on Control Panel, double clicking on the
System icon in the Control Panel, and then clicking on the Device Manager
TAB in the resulting window. The individual device configurations may be
viewed by clicking the "+" symbols beside the device type names. To view
the Mouse configurations, click on the "+" symbol beside the word Mouse.
Each of the configurations may be viewed by double clicking on the
selection or by selecting the item and then clicking on the "Properties"
button.
If a mouse configuration properties screen has a Resource TAB, then the
port being used is PS/2. Serial mouse configurations do not have a
Resource TAB.
Installing a PS/2 TouchPad
--------------------------
Generally, there will be a "PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port" installed,
since Windows goes out of its way to notice that the PS/2 support
hardware exists at boot time. Therefore, installing a PS/2 TouchPad
requires changing the current pointing device driver to the Synaptics
driver for the already recognized PS/2 port.
1) Power the system off.
2) Plug in the TouchPad and reboot.
3) In Control Panel/System/Device Manager, make sure that "View Devices
by Type" is checked, and click on the "+" next to the Mouse icon.
4) There should be an item for the PS/2 mouse, with the name of its
manufacturer. Double-click on this item or select it and then
click "Properties".
5) Select the "Driver" tab in the dialog that comes up.
6) Click "Change Driver".
7) Put the installation disk in the floppy drive, and click "Have Disk".
8) Make sure that "Synaptics PS/2 TouchPad" is selected, and click "OK".
9) A list of files to be copied is displayed - click "OK".
10) When all files have been copied, the Device Manager window comes up.
Click "Close".
11) Reboot.
Installing a Serial TouchPad
----------------------------
If your system DOES NOT currently have a serial pointing device driver
installed:
1) Plug the TouchPad into any serial port.
2) Go to Control Panel/Add New Hardware, click "Next".
3) Tell Windows not to search for new hardware, then click "Next".
4) Double click on the Mouse icon.
5) Click "Have Disk".
6) Put the installation floppy in the disk drive.
7) Select "Synaptics Serial TouchPad", "Next", and "Finish".
If your system already has a serial pointing device driver installed
(except for Synaptics drivers older than version 4.0):
1) Power the system off.
2) Replace the current serial pointing device with the Synaptics
Serial TouchPad, and reboot.
3) In Control Panel/System/Device Manager, make sure that "View
Devices by Type" is checked, and click on the + next to the
Mouse icon.
4) There should be an item for the serial mouse, with the name of
its manufacturer. Double-click on this item or select it and then
click "Properties".
5) Select the "Driver" tab in the dialog that comes up.
6) Click "Change Driver".
7) Put the installation disk in the floppy drive, and click "Have Disk".
8) Make sure that "Synaptics serial TouchPad" is selected, and
click "OK".
9) A list of files to be copied is displayed - click "OK".
10) When all files have been copied, the Device Manager window comes up.
Click "Close".
11) Reboot.
If your system has a Synaptics TouchPad driver installed that is
older than version 4.0, please refer to the section below entitled
"Upgrading from Versions Prior to 4.0".
--------
After the driver is loaded and you have restarted windows, you should
see the TouchPad Icon in your task bar next to the clock. If the TouchPad
icon is NOT present, click on the Mouse icon in the Control Panel, click
on the TouchPad TAB, and ensure that the configuration selections are not
greyed out or unavailable. Also, a dialog box, "Information about your
TouchPad" should come up unless you have checked the "Stop showing me
this message" checkbox. Either choose "Tell me more..." from this dialog
box, or double-click on the TouchPad Icon in your task bar, and choose
the "Help" button.
2. Personal Computer and Windows 95 Configuration Issues
A) BIOS Settings
Many PCs include a BIOS that permits you to change serial port addresses
and disable the on board PS/2 mouse port. Changes made after Windows 95
was installed may not be known to Windows 95. It is recommended that BIOS
changes be made only in severe cases, or when you are familiar with the
impact of the changes.
If you are attempting to connect a pointing device to a PS/2 port and
Windows 95 does not know that the port exists, use the Add New Hardware
icon in the Control Panel and let Windows 95 search for new devices.
If Windows 95 does not find a PS/2 port there may be a BIOS setting that
has disabled the port.
To access the BIOS settings of the computer you must restart the PC and
watch the screen carefully for instructions to "Enter Setup". These
instructions appear prior to the PC beginning to load Windows 95 and may
be displayed briefly. Refer to your PC's documentation for proper
procedures to enter the BIOS setup.
If the PS/2 port is disabled by a BIOS setting, it must be enabled and
the new configuration must be saved. Windows 95 may not find this port
automatically upon restarting and you may have to click on the Add New
Hardware icon in the Control Panel and let Windows 95 search for new
devices. Once the PS/2 port has been found by Windows 95, and if your
TouchPad uses a PS/2 connector, follow the instructions in section 1.
B) Windows 95 MOUSE Settings
Many computers include a standard PS/2 port on the PC's motherboard.
Whether the actual pointing device connects to the computer through this
port or not may cause some confusion. Windows 95 will try to find the
PS/2 port, and if found, will install the software to support it
automatically, even if no PS/2 device is present.
The preferred location to view your system's configuration is the Device
Manager, which is available by double clicking on the System icon in the
Control Panel, and then clicking on the Device Manager TAB in the
resulting window. The individual device configurations may be viewed
by clicking the "+" symbols beside the device type names. To view the
Mouse configurations, click on the "+" symbol beside the word Mouse.
If you have a PC that automatically adds its PS/2 port to the list,
you may have an entry that has a yellow circle with an exclamation mark
over it. This will always be present and will not cause any problems for
Windows 95 operation.
If you attach a serial pointing device to the PC, and do not attach
anything to the PS/2 port, Windows 95 will automatically use the serial
device even though Windows 95 is configured to use a PS/2 mouse. In this
setting Windows 95 has used a fall-back procedure that supports the
serial pointing device in a basic mode without any of its special
features.
If you double click on the Mouse icon in the Control Panel, and then
click on the General TAB in the resulting window, you will observe the
driver type that Windows 95 is using as its pointing device. If you
select to change the driver from this point you may unintentionally
instruct Windows 95 to use a serial mouse definition for the device
connected to the PS/2 port. The resulting changed mouse definition will
mislead you into thinking that a serial pointing device is installed,
even though it is not. What has occurred is that a particular driver is
configured for the PS/2 port, which you are not connected to, and
Windows 95 is using its fall-back procedure to provide pointing ability
over the serial port, without any specific driver being used.
To repair the above configuration, use the Add New Hardware icon in
the Control Panel. Do not let Windows search for new devices, but force
Windows to install a serial TouchPad in addition to the PS/2 port that
is already present.
C) Windows 95 SERIAL PORT Settings
Windows 95 found the serial ports available on the PC at the time it
was installed. If new serial ports are added, or the current ports have
had their addresses changed, Windows 95 may not know about the changes.
Once changes in serial port addresses have been made at the BIOS level,
Windows 95 needs to be updated with new configuration information.
The easiest way to ensure that Windows 95 correctly identifies each
port is to delete all the Communications Ports found under the Port
section of the System's Device Manager. Next, shut the system down and
power off and then on again. If Windows 95 did not automatically detect
the new ports, run the Add New Hardware application from the Control
Panel, let Windows 95 search for new hardware, and it should find the
reconfigured serial ports.
3. Trouble Shooting
Conflicting Software
The new Microsoft application "IntelliPoint" may cause unintended
behavior for some users. IntelliPoint interferes with the operation of
internal TouchPads and external pointing devices on some computers.
Please refer to the readme file included on disk 1 of the IntelliPoint
installation disk set.
Some other types of "Mouse Enhancement" software may interfere with the
operation of your Synaptics TouchPad. If all else appears correct and
you are still having difficulty remove or disable the other software.
WHAT IS THE PORT ON THE BACK OF THE KEYBOARD?
The port on the back of the keyboard is called a "pass through" port.
This port fully supports the connection of another pointing device,
but only one device can be enabled at any given time. There is a switch
on the underside of the keyboard for selecting which device to enable.
**CAUTION**
Some pointing devices generate signals even tough they are connected
but not enabled. If all else appears correct with your Windows 95 setup,
unplug the other pointing device from your keyboard, make sure that the
switch on the bottom of the keyboard is set to TouchPad, and restart
your computer.
WHAT TYPE OF CONNECTOR DO I HAVE?
There are two types of pointing device port that may be present on
your PC: PS/2 and serial. Both ports may be present even though the
physical connector for one of them may be missing. This is the case
with many "clone" PCs which are based around Intel and other similar
motherboards. These motherboards include the computer chip and circuitry
that permit the PC's manufacturer to use a PS/2 connector. Many
manufacturers prefer to omit the PS/2 connector, and include a serial
port and serial mouse instead, even though the PS/2 port still appears
to Windows 95 to be present and functioning.
A PS/2 port is round and is about 1/4 inch in diameter. A serial port
is either a 9 pin connector about 1 inch wide or a 25 pin connector
about 2 inches wide. Neither serial connector appears round.
The type of port is critical for the successful operation of your
Synaptics TouchPad. The TouchPad's type of connector controls which
type of port you must use. Windows 95 mouse setting's port and the
TouchPad's port type must match exactly.
WHAT TYPE OF PORT DOES WINDOWS 95 THINK I HAVE
To determine what Windows 95 thinks it should be using as your TouchPad
port, go to the Device Manager from the System icon of the Control Panel.
Click on the "+" symbol beside the word "Mouse" if it is not already open.
The mouse types that Windows 95 knows about are each represented here.
Any installed driver that Windows 95 thinks is not functioning correctly
will have a yellow circle with an exclamation mark over it.
If there is more than one definition and you have only one TouchPad
connected to your computer this might be the source of some difficulty.
If there is only one definition present then this is the one Windows 95
will try to use.
Double click on the definition which says Synaptics, if present.
If there is a resource TAB on the resulting window then there is
definitely a PS/2 port resource that is being used for the TouchPad,
even though you may have told the computer to install a Synaptics
Serial TouchPad!
3A) If your TouchPad is serial
The port that the TouchPad must be connected to is a serial port.
If the Device Manager from the System icon of the Control Panel does
not have a serial port mouse defined, but may have a PS/2 port defined,
then the Add New Hardware icon of the Control Panel MUST be used to add
a new serial TouchPad. Follow the instructions to add your new TouchPad.
3B) If your TouchPad is PS/2
Your TouchPad must connect to the PS/2 port of the PC. If there is no
other pointing device except the PS/2 connected TouchPad, you may double
click on the Mouse icon on the desktop and select the General TAB page.
From here click on the "change" button and change the driver to a
Synaptics PS/2 TouchPad.
4. Upgrading from Versions Prior to 4.0
IF YOU HAVE INSTALLED PRIOR VERSIONS OF THE SYNAPTICS DRIVER
Prior versions were Windows 3.1 drivers that operated in the Windows 95
environment as well. Prior versions did not require the user to specify
which port the TouchPad was connected.
Upgrading to the port-specific Windows 95 version of the Synaptics
TouchPad may create problems, or the TouchPad may not appear to perform
as expected.
The general situation that we have replicated is as follows:
A) The user begins with a Windows 95 PC that operates properly with a
mouse connected to the PS/2 port.
B) The user purchases a new keyboard that has a serial TouchPad
connector and a PS/2 keyboard connector.
C) The user follows the installation instructions included with the
keyboard which advise the user to: double click on the mouse icon
in the Control panel, click on the General TAB, click on the change
driver button, click on "have disk" and install the driver for the
Synaptics TouchPad.
D) This installation has installed a serial TouchPad that is operating
via the PC's PS/2 port, misconfigured.
E) The user then downloads the Synaptics Windows 95 driver, version
4.0 or higher, and performs the change driver operation through the
mouse icon of the control panel.
F) The TouchPad TAB of the new driver remains greyed out and/or
mysterious and faulty behavior is observed under Windows 95.
To correct this configuration:
A) Remove all the mouse drivers from the Mouse section of the Device
Manager of the System icon of the Control Panel.
B) Reboot.
C) Windows 95 probably will find the PS/2 port and automatically
install software for it. Windows 95 will then ask to reboot. Do so.
D) Once the Windows 95 desktop is fully displayed follow the section of
this document to add a new serial TouchPad by starting the
"Add New Hardware" icon of the Control Panel.
E) Reboot and the TouchPad should be properly identified as a serial
TouchPad and the enhancements will work as expected.
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.